Solomons One, LLC, was formed to develop waterfront property in Maryland. Vernon Donnelly was a member of
Question:
Solomons One, LLC, was formed to develop waterfront property in Maryland. Vernon Donnelly was a member of the LLC and served as the company’s counsel. The state denied Solomons’s request for a permit to build a pier. Donnelly appealed the denial. Meanwhile, he assigned Solomons’s potential right to build a pier to a trust, appointed himself trustee, and changed his fee arrangement with the company. These steps were taken without Solomons’s authorization, but there was no financial harm to the LLC and no additional evidence that Donnelly engaged in dishonesty or deceit. On learning of Donnelly’s actions, however, a majority of the LLC members voted to terminate his representation. Despite the vote, he pursued the pier case until the LLC ultimately gained the right to build a pier. Donnelly had not previously been disciplined for misconduct. Should he be disciplined in this case? Why or why not? [Attorney Grievance Commission of Maryland v. Donnelly, 458 Md. 237, 182 A.3d 743 (2018)] (See Potential Liability to Clients.)
Step by Step Answer:
Business Law Text And Cases
ISBN: 9780357129630
15th Edition
Authors: Kenneth W. Clarkson, Roger LeRoy Miller